[at-l] Loss of the AT thru-hiking "mystique"

[RoksnRoots@aol.com (RoksnRoots@aol.com)]

In a message dated 1/2/02 10:01:24 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
spiriteagle99@hotmail.com writes:


> For a hiker, the Trail is what it is when they hike it - it's not what it 
> once was, nor will it ever be so again.  It's become a "social" trail and 
> if 
> you look for anything different, you'll be disappointed.  If you're looking 
> for that kind of experience, then try the CDT.


    *** This begs the need for keeping the Trail preserved as best as 
possible. There are ways to mitigate the impact of increased use. The obvious 
task at hand is retaining as much as possible. The alternative seems to me to 
be laying back and accepting everything...



> 
> The "mystique" has nothing to do with the "remoteness and ruggedness of The 
> Trail."  The "mystique" you speak of existed when the Trail ran on roads 
> through the rural countryside  -- the way it was originally envisioned and 
> executed.
> 

   ***  Here's where you're completely wrong. I find these opinions to be 
based mainly on a resentment towards admitting that the AT must be guarded 
against encroachment and supported by community Trail advocacy. What Jim, 
again, fails to accept is the fact that those roads were remote backcountry 
hollow dirt tracks traversed by a few vehicles a day. Don't take away from 
the original planners the credit for thinking that connecting a through trail 
was the first priority, then later a woodland route would be made. Those 
roads served a purpose. The same roads now would be constantly swishing with 
SUV traffic or be paved and chock a block with vacation homes or other 
development. 
      For a man who was going to "smoke my buggy" or such with MacKaye 
knowledge, Jim, you show scant awareness of what 'mystique' -or experience- 
the original Trail planners were trying to create by bringing the Trail to 
the most remote core of the Appalachians. Those same areas, once surrounded 
by vast woodland parcels in their day, are now highly fragmented with less 
original forest integrity. This upsets me because the continuation of this 
logic is to accept that the AT need not be wild -which is completely contrary 
to its purpose and constitution. This is all plainly available in MacKaye's 
writings.
    It seems obvious to me that the greater combination of corridor immersion 
and remoteness creates an unavoidable increase in -mystique-. It's a shame 
how few comprehend that or struggle against it while considering themselves 
knowledgeable AT members. 


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